Title display for a coin operated phonograph

ABSTRACT

A title display for a coin operated phonograph provides easy access to record title strips and selective viewing of the record title strips. A matrix of individual frames, each of which is formed from raised ribs and borders a title strip, prevents the title strips from being visible to persons who are not immediately adjacent the coin-operated phonograph. Easy access to the record title strips for removal or replacement is provided by mounting the supporting assembly for the matrix of frames securely to the underside of a horizontally disposed cabinet lid, which may be raised by means of a hinge attached to the phonograph at the back edge of the lid (i.e., the edge furthest away from the front of the coin-operated phonograph). Removal of the title strips is effected by raising the cabinet lid and pivoting a program holder carrying the title strips upwardly 180* away from the supporting assembly until the title strips are facing the front of the coin-operated phonograph, thereby providing easy access to the title strips.

[ 11 3,739,509 June 19, 1973 United States Patent [1 1 ONeil [54] TITLEDISPLAY FOR A COIN OPERATED Primary Examiner-R0bert W. MichellPHONOGRAPH Assistant Examiner-George M. Yahwak 75 Inventor: Robert A.ONeil, Glen Ellyn, Ill. A'mmekRonald The Seeburg Corporation ofDelaware, Chicago, 111.

Sept. 10, 1971 gel, Daniel W. Vittum, Jr., Gomer W. Walters [73]Assignee:

ABSTRACT phonograph provides [22] Filed:

A title display for a coin operated easy access to record title stripsand selective viewing of the record title strips. A ma [21] Appl. No.:179

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posed cabinet lid which may be raised by means of a the phono UNITEDSTATES PATENTS hinge attached to graph at the back edge of oa ur. r .1 cy t am O00 w ekm aRn. ue ms .1 .S S S) e e a C h npmm n tnt r m m m w e3.1 nw m 0 0 m. m a mom wmm m wmbe umm awmmm U m r e a n clmyf "f a r. mmwm mck aat t XRNRRRR Awnmmmm 5 fiaamwwww 4444 4 m m m n m y c fl hh nm.l ffU mu ofi PBJMHBH 6560327 6660233 9999999 1111111 l/ll/l/ 9225853 6Claims, 16 Drawing Figures TITLE DISPLAY FOR A COIN OPERATED PHONOGRAPHBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The presentinvention relates to coin-operated phonographs and, more particularly,to a record title strip display apparatus for a coin-operatedphonograph.

2. Description of the Prior Art In a typical coin-operated phonograph,there may be as many as fifty to one hundred individual recordsavailable for selection by a customer, and a necessary part of everycoin-operated phonograph is a record display setting forth all of therecords and their locations.

in the phonograph. Further, in order to permit periodic changes ofrecords in the phonograph, the title for each record in such a displaymust be individually removable. Typically, paper title strips areemployed for this purpose.

One of the problems with the record title display apparatus of the priorart is that such displays frequently are difficult to service andmaintain and record title strips are hard to remove from the displayapparatus. Thus, changing records in the machine is time consuming andexpensive.

Another problem with the record title display apparatus of the prior artis that in order to prominently display these record title strips to theoperator of the coinoperated phonograph, the title strips also have beenmade visible to all other persons within view of the coin-operatedphonograph, as well. This causes the coin-operated phonograph to losemuch of its aesthetic attraction because the record title strips, whichmay be printed or typed or even written out long hand on a scrap ofpaper, have an unappealing appearance. Heretofore it has not beenpossible to make these record title strips visible to persons in aposition to operate the machine, while making them invisible to allother persons positioned more than a few feet away from the phonograph.

In order to overcome the above-discussed deficiencies in the prior art,the present invention was evolved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The record title strip display apparatus of thepresent invention comprises a frame assembly mounted on a coin-operatedphonograph in a generally horizontal psition and a program holdermounted on the underside of the frame assembly. The frame assemblycomprises a plurality of individual frames that form a border for eachtitle strip in the program holder, while the program holder comprises aplurality of individual slots for each title strip that correspond toeach individual frame in the frame assembly.

Selective viewing of record title strips in display apparatus isprovided by forming each of the individual .frames from raised ribs thatextend from the program holder upwardly, so that the record title stripappears to be recessed in the frame assembly. Whenever a person morethan a few feet away from the coin-operated phonograph looks at thedisplay apparatus, the ribs will obscure the view of the title stripsand will thereby make the title strips invisible to that person.However, as the person approaches the coin-operated phonograph, theperson s angle of viewing changes so that the ribs no longer pose anobstacle to the visibility of the title strips, and such person can seethe title strips for purposes of selecting a record from the phonograph.

Easy access to the record title strips for purposes of replacement orsubstitution is provided by mounting the frame assembly securely to theunderside of a horizontally disposed cabinet lid, which is pivotallymounted to the coin-operated phonograph along the back edge thereof. Thecabinet lid is provided with a transparent viewing surface, so that thetitle strip display apparatus is visible through the cabinet lid. Theprogram holder is pivotally mounted to the underside of the frameassembly along the front edge of the frame assembly (i.e., the edgeadjacent the front of the phonograph) and is held against the frameassembly by releasable latches positioned along the back edge thereof.In order to remove or replace title strips in the display, the cabinetlid is raised to an upright position, the latches are released, and theprogram holder is pivoted away from the frame assembly until it is in anupright position facing the front of the coin-operated phonograph. Inthis position, the title strips may easily be removed and replaced by aserviceman in the course of changing record selections in thephonograph, thereby saving both time and money.

Notwithstanding, the many advantages of the present apparatus, thestructure of the apparatus remains quite simple and inexpensive, therebyproviding further cost savings in the construction and operation of thecoinoperated phonograph. I

Accordingly, it is one of the principal objects of the present inventionto provide a title strip display apparatus for a coin-operatedphonograph wherein the record title strips are invisible to personsdistant from the coinoperated phonograph, yet are visible to personsoperating the coin-operated phonograph.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a record titlestrip display apparatus for a coinoperated phonograph that is simple tooperate, easy to service.

Still another object of the present inventionv is to provide a recordtitle strip display apparatus having the foregoing advantages that issimple and inexpensive to construct, maintain and operate.

These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention willhereinafter appear, and for purposes of illustration, but not oflimitation, a preferred embodiment of the subject invention is describedbelow and illustrated in the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective viewof a coinoperated phonograph employing the title strip display apparatusof subject invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the frame and programholder of the: present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the title strip display apline 88 of FIG.3, showing the front and back edges of the apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line l010 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 11 is a partial rear view showing the latching apparatus of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line l2l2 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the latching apparatus shown inFIGS. 11 and 12, with the latch being shown in its released position.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1414 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a coin-operated phonograph showing thetitle strip display apparatus of the present invention as it is beingremoved from the underside of a raised cabinet lid.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a coin-operated phonograph showing thecabinet lid and attached title strip display apparatus in a raisedposition, with the program holder being pivoted away from the frameassembly in position for servicing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to thedrawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, a title strip displayapparatus 20 embodying the subject invention is shown mounted in acoinoperated phonograph 22. Display apparatus 20 is mounted in thecoin-operated phonograph in a substantially horizontal position, so thatrecord title strips 24 mounted thereon are positioned in a horizontalpositron.

Display apparatus 20 comprises a flat, rectangular frame assembly 26 anda program holder 28, which are pivotally connected by means of a hingeassembly 30 formed along the front edge (i.e., the edge that is adjacentthe front of the coin-operated phonograph) of each member. Programholder 28 may be pivoted into and away from contact with frame assembly26 (as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16). A pair of releasable latches 32 (shownin detail in FIGS. 11-14) are employed to hold the program holderagainst the frame assembly when the program holder is pivoted intocontact with the frame assembly.

Frame assembly 26 comprises a matrix of rectangular individual frames34, arranged in symmetrical rows and columns. Each individual frame isadapted to border an individual title strip held in the program holderimmediately below the frame assembly.

Individual frames 34 comprise raised ribs 36 that extend upwardly fromprogram holder 28 a fixed distance above title strips 24. The bottomportion of raised ribs 36 are wider than the top portions, with convaveside wall extending between the bottom and top portion. Raised ribs 36preferably are formed of a resilient plastic and extend upwardly adistance sufficient to prevent the title strips and program holder frombeing visible to persons standing more'than a few feet away from thecoin-operated phonograph, while permitting the title strips to be seenby anyone close enough to the coinoperated phonograph to make a recordselection. These distances are shown as B and A respectively, in FIG. 1,with corresponding viewing angles of B and A shown in FIG. 2. In thepreferred embodiment of the subject invention, raised ribs 36 are aboutA inch high, which is a sufficient distance to prevent anyone more thanabout 7 feet away from the coin-operated phonograph from seeing therecord title strips.

Program holder 28 comprises a flat, rectangular member having a matrixof individual rectangular slots 37 for each title strip in the display,with the slots being arranged in symmetrical rows and columns so as tobe disposed beneath corresponding individual frames in the frameassembly.

Program holder 28 includes a backing 38 and a retaining means 40, whichcomprises a vertically disposed ridge 42 that extends upwardly from thebacking and a horizontal projection 44 that extends outwardly from thetop end of the ridge so as to cover the edge of title strip 24. Whenarranged in the program holder, the retaining means has a T-shaped crosssection, with the vertical member of the T being ridge 42 and thehorizontal members of the T being projections 44 extending to each sideto cover the edges of the adjacent title strips.

Retaining means 40 is formed on three sides of each title strip, leavingan opening for insertion or removal of title strips on the right handside of each frame. (FIGS. 3, l5 and 16 orientation).

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the program holderis molded from plastic in sections comprising single columns 45 of titlestrip slots (see FIG. 7), and the title strip sections are then joinedand glued together to form a complete program holder.

The construction of hinge assembly 30 is best shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 8.A plurality of flat brackets 46 formed along the front edge 47 of frameassembly 26 depend downwardly therefrom, with each hinge bracket 46being roughly triangular in shape and having transverse opening 48therein. Corresponding to each bracket on frame assembly 26 is a bracketon the front edge 49 of program holder 28. Bracket 50 also are providedwith openings 52 therein, which are of the same diameter as and invertical alignment with openings 48 in brackets 46 when the programholder and frame assembly are connected together. A rod 54 extendsthrough openings 48 and 52 in all of the brackets and is held in placein the title display apparatus by suitable fasteners 56 removablymounted on each end of the rod.

The structure of the pair of releasable latches 32 employed to hold theprogram holder against the frame assembly is shown in FIGS. 6 and 11-13,the latches being shown in their latched positions in FIGS. 6, 11 and 12and their unlatched positions in FIG. 13. Each latch 32 comprises aplastic latching member 58, pivotally mounted in an opening in the backedge 51 of frame assembly 26, and a resilient spring 60 that is mountedon an L-shaped metal reinforcing member 53 that runs along back edge 51of the frame assembly and bears against the back edge of the latch so asto urge the latch inwardly through opening 55 to its latching position.Latch 58 comprises a longitudinal shaft 62 having a lip or latchingsurface 64 formed at the head of the shaft and a transverse rod 66formed at the base of the shaft. Rod 66 rides in a corresponding groove68 in member 53, which forms a bearing surface therefor. Lip 64 fitsover the back edge 70 of the program holder to releasably hold theprogram holder against the frame assembly. A projection 73 extendsoutwardly from lip 64 in order to facilitate manual release of thelatch.

In order to provide a corresponding latching surface in the programholder for latches 58 in the frame assembly, the back edge 70 of theprogram holder comprises a metal channel member 72 that fits into slots74 in the back end 76 of the plastic portion of program holder 28. Aflat latching surface 78 is provided in metal channel member 72 so as toprovide a compatible latching surfacefor lip 64.

The subject title display apparatus, as mounted in a coin-operatedphonograph is shown in FIGS. 1, l5 and 16. Coin-operated phonograph 22is provided with a flat horizontally disposed cabinet lid 80 that ispivotally mounted on the coin-operated phonograph by means of hinges 82at the back edge of the cabinet lid. Thus, the cabinet lid may be raisedor lowered by lifting the front edge of the cabinet lid with respect tothe coinoperated phonograph. The cabinet lid is provided with atransparent viewing surface 84, which may be formed of clear or coloredglass and may be illuminated by various colored lights in order toproduce any desired lighting or appearance effects to persons positionedat a distance from the coin-operated phonograph.

The frame assembly and program holder of the present invention aremounted on the underside of cabinet lid 80 such that the title stripsare visible through viewing surface 84. Frame assembly 26 is mountedsecurely to cabinet lid 80 by means of brackets 86 attached to i theframe assembly at the corners of reinforcing member 53 and are securedto the back of the cabinet lid by metal screws 88 or other such suitablefasteners. The front edge of the title strip display apparatus is heldto the cabinet lid by means of spring retaining clips 90 (shown in FIG.15). In order to remove the entire display apparatus from thecoin-operated phonograph, first the cabinet lid is raised, as shown inFIGS. 15 and 16, then the fasteners are removed from brackets 86, sothat the rear portion of the display apparatus may be pulled away fromthe cabinet lid, and then the display apparatus is pulled downwardly asshown in FIG. 15 so as to slide the display apparatus away fromretaining clips 90.

Without removing the display apparatus from the coin-operatedphonograph, the title strips displayed in the program holder may beremoved or substituted very easily by raising the cabinet lid, releasinglatches 58, and pivoting program holder 28 away from the frame assemblyinto an upright position, as shown in FIG. 16. In this position, thetitle strips face the front of the machine and may be removed easilythrough the openings along the right hand edges of each individual titlestrip slot. A typical title strip 24' is shown partially removed in FIG.16.

When constructed in the above-discussed manner, the apparatus of thepresent invention provides numerous advantages over title strip displayapparatus of the prior art. First, the present invention provides onlyselected viewing of title strips. The angle of viewings of any personclose enough to the coin-operatedphonograph to operate the machine willbe such that the title strips will be visible through the individualframes that surround each title strip. However, for persons positionedmore than a few feet from the coin-operated phonograph, the angle ofviewing decreases to such an extent that the frames obscure the titlestrips from view. Thus, such persons will not see the title strips butwill see instead the frames or the viewing surface that covers the titlestrip display apparatus. This feature greatly enhances the aestheticappeal and, hence, the saleability, of the coin-operated phonograph.

Another important featureof the present invention is the easyaccessibility that is provided for the title strips held in thetitlestrip display apparatus. As described above, by raising the cabinetlid and pivoting the program holder away from the frame into an uprightposition, the title strips are positioned almost at eye level and facingthe front of the machine. Thus, the serviceman can easily andeffortlessly remove or substitute title strips in the display apparatus.This feature greatly facilitates servicing of coin-operated phonographsand reduces substantially the amount of time required for changingrecord selections in such machines.

Still another important aspect of the present invention, is that theadvantages of selective viewing and easy access are provided with astructure that is simple and inexpensive, and most of the parts,particularly the frame assemby and the program holder may be moldedeasily out of inexpensive plastic. Thus, the advantages of the presentinvention may be achieved without the expenditure of substantial extramoney in form of complex machinery.

It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merelyexemplary of the preferred practices of the present invention and thatvarious changes, modifications, and variations may be made in thearrangements, operations, and details of construction of the elementsdisclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

I claim:

1. Title strip display apparatus for a coin'operated phonographcomprising:

a plurality of title strips;

a program holder having a flat backing surface to support said titlestrips;

a plurality of raised ridges having horizontally extending projectionslocated on said backing surface and forming three-sided compartments forsaid title strips;

a frame assembly located over and parallel to said program holder, thebottom edge of said program holder being pivotally connected to saidframe assembly;

raised ribs formed on said frame assembly to surround each title stripand prevent said title strips from being visible to a person beyond acertain distance from the coin-operated phonograph; and

a normally horizontally disposed cabinet lid pivotally mounted on thecoin-operated phonograph and having a transparent viewing surfacethrough which said title strips may be seen, said frame assembly beingmounted on the bottom of said cabinet lid,

whereby said cabinet lid may be pivoted to a vertical position and saidprogram holder may be rotated with respect to said cabinet lid and saidframe assembly to display said title strips in an easily readable andreadily accessible position.

2. Title strip display apparatus for a coin-operated phonographcomprising:

a cabinet lid pivotably mounted along a back edge to the coin-operatedphonograph, said cabinet lid normally positioned in a first horizontalposition and being pivotable to a second vertical position, and saidcabinet lid further including a transparent 7 8 viewing surface thereinthrough which the title wherein said view restricting means comprisesraise strips are viewable; ribs mounted on said frame assemblysurrounding each a frame assembly mounted on said cabinet lid immetitlstri and extending upwardly a distance sufficient diately below SaidCabinet lid; to prevent the title strips from being visible to anyperapl'ogram holder means Pivotably moumed along the sons positionedmore than a few feet from the coinfront edge thereof to the front edgeof said frame operated phonograph assembly, said program holder meansincluding retaining means for holding the title strips;

releasable latches mounted on the frame assembly releasably holding saidprogram holder means 10 against the underside of said frame assembly,said releasable latches being releasable when said cabinet lid ispivoted to its second vertical position so that said program holdermeans can be pivoted 180 with respect to said frame assembly;

whereby the title strips may be removed or replaced by pivoting saidcabinet lid to its second position 5. Title strip display apparatus, asclaimed in claim 2, wherein said program holder means comprises:

a backing;

raised ridges formed on said backing, said ridges positioned on threesides of each title strip leaving the fourth side open and havingprojections formed thereon that extend over the edge of each title stripthereby holding the title strip between said backing and the projectionson said ridges so that said title strips may be removed and insertedthrough the and pivoting said program holder means 180 with P f respectto Said cabinet 6. Title strip display apparatus, as claimed in claim 2,3. Title strip display apparatus, as claimed in claim 2, furtherComprising: further comprising view restricting means to preventfastener means removably Q mg the ack edg of the title strips from beingvisible to any persons posi- Said frame assembly Said cabinet and tionedmore than a few feet from the coin-operated resilient retaining lipmeans holding the front edge of phonograph. said frame assembly to saidcabinet lid.

4. Title strip display apparatus, as claimed in claim 3,

1. Title strip display apparatus for a coin-operated phonographcomprising: a plurality of title strips; a program holder having a flatbacking surface to support said title strips; a plurality of raisedridges having horizontally extending projections located on said backingsurface and forming threesided compartments for said title strips; aframe assembly located over and parallel to said program holder, thebottom edge of said program holder being pivotally connected to saidframe assembly; raised ribs formed on said frame assembly to surroundeach title strip and prevent said title strips from being visible to aperson beyond a certain distance from the coin-operated phonograph; anda normally horizontally disposed cabinet lid pivotally mounted on thecoin-operated phonograph and having a transparent viewing surfacethrough which said title strips may be seen, said frame assembly beingmounted on the bottom of said cabinet lid, whereby said cabinet lid maybe pivoted to a vertical position and said program holder may be rotated180* with respect to said cabinet lid and said frame assembly to displaysaid title strips in an easily readable and readily accessible position.2. Title strip display apparatus for a coin-operated phonographcomprising: a cabinet lid pivotably mounted along a back edge to thecoin-operated phonograph, said cabinet lid normally positioned in afirst horizontal position and being pivotable to a second verticalposition, and said cabinet lid further including a transparent viewingsurface therein through which the title strips are viewable; a frameassembly mounted on said cabinet lid immediately below said cabinet lid;a program holder means pivotably mounted along the front edge thereof tothe front edge of said frame assembly, said program holder meansincluding retaining means for holding the title strips; releasablelatches mounted on the frame assembly releasably holding said programholder means against the underside of said frame assembly, saidreleasable latches being releasable when said cabinet lid is pivoted toits second vertical position so that said program holder means can bepivoted 180* with respect to said frame assembly; whereby the titlestrips may be removed or replaced by pivoting said cabinet lid to itssecond position and pivoting said program holder means 180* with respectto said cabinet lid.
 3. Title strip display apparatus, as claimed inclaim 2, further comprising view restricting means to prevent the titlestrips from being visible to any persons positioned more than a few feetfrom the coin-operated phonograph.
 4. Title strip display apparatus, asclaimed in claim 3, wherein said view restricting means comprises raiseribs mounted on said frame assembly surrounding each title strip andextending upwardly a distance sufficient to prevent the title stripsfrom being visible to any persons positioned more than a few feet fromthe coin-operated phonograph.
 5. Title strip display apparatus, asclaimed in claim 2, wherein said program holder means comprises: abacking; raised ridges formed on said backing, said ridges positioned onthree sides of each title strip leaving the fourth side open and havingprojections formed thereon that extend over the edge of each title stripthereby holding the title strip between said backing and the projectionson said ridges so that said title strips may be removed and insertedthrough the open fourth side.
 6. Title strip display apparatus, asclaimed in claim 2, further comprising: fastener means removably holdingthe back edge of said frame assembly to said cabinet lid; and resilientretaining lip means holding the front edge of said frame assembly tosaid cabinet lid.